When the Republicans put up a viable candidate who actually speaks to the issues that address Minneapolitans, then we can have this discussion. As long as they keep putting up whackjobs / sacrificial lambs / nobody at all, I'm just not impressed.

Carlson won 35% of the vote in the primary and 45% in the general election against a sitting incumbent. No, she didn't win, but she certainly had her voice heard and considered by the electorate.

MNdible wrote:When the Republicans put up a viable candidate who actually speaks to the issues that address Minneapolitans, then we can have this discussion. As long as they keep putting up whackjobs / sacrificial lambs / nobody at all, I'm just not impressed.

Carlson won 35% of the vote in the primary and 45% in the general election against a sitting incumbent. No, she didn't win, but she certainly had her voice heard and considered by the electorate.

LOL.

Doesn't matter. It's unhealthy to have liberal extremists run every aspect of the city. Not healthy at all. Extremists on either side need balance.

MNdible wrote:Barbara Carlson ran in 1997 and Mark Stenglein in 2001, both with modest success. While neither of those would fit into today's RINO hunting Republican Party (and while Stenglein has always considered himself a Democrat as far as I'm aware, if a fairly conservative one), it's wrong to suggest that there's no place for alternate voices in the mayoral process.

The truth is, though, that there is enough latitude in the DFL party to allow for a fairly diverse set of voices to operate within the system, and given the clout of the party, a candidate is much better off running as a fiscally pragmatic Democrat than as an Independent or a socially progressive Republican (would that there were such a thing).

I know Mark and he is a dem at heart and would admit it I think. There were reasons he ran as a republican that I don't agree with, he used the system. I've never liked Carlson. she's a bulldog in a china shop.

The biggest problem with politics in this city is that even if we were to elect a more moderate or right wing mayor, the city council is always made up of left wing politicians and has more power than the mayor in a lot of instances, so they can shut (shout) down the opposition anyways.

MNDible, you wouldn't vote for your mother if she was republican so don't patronize me. Republicans don't even want to run in this city because they know it's a waste of time, they'd rather put their money into running for a state position where there is at least a level playing field. You may think it's a joke, but I've always felt like there is a voice missing in this city. I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed.

nordeast homer wrote:MNDible, you wouldn't vote for your mother if she was republican so don't patronize me. Republicans don't even want to run in this city because they know it's a waste of time, they'd rather put their money into running for a state position where there is at least a level playing field. You may think it's a joke, but I've always felt like there is a voice missing in this city. I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed.

Please don't presume that you know how I'd vote. I don't think it's a joke. The Republicans have clearly given up on Minneapolis because their current politics are badly misaligned with the realities that urban voters deal with, but somehow this is the fault of DFLer's or the voters of Minneapolis?

Should we blame Minneapolis voters because they don't vote for a party that opposes funding mass transit, wants to slash LGA, won't adequately fund schools dealing with high-need students, and uses Minneapolis as a whipping boy at the statehouse?

Everything MNdible just said. The Republican Party platform is incompatible with the reality of what central cities need.

I think you guys are focusing too much on party identification in a race that technically is non-partisan. If I were to run, I would have to seek the DFL nomination to win, not that I'd necessarily want to. I vote Democratic, sometimes Independence Party, depending on the race. I consider myself a shade more fiscally conservative than most Democrats. There are some things I am not fiscally conservative about, such as the need for higher taxes/spending on public transit and metro-wide tax base sharing (LGA and Fiscal Disparities). While a Republican candidate for Mayor or City Council is not viable due to the incompatibility of the state and national party platform, I'd love to see an Independence Party candidate get in the race to bring a little balance to what will be DFL vs. DFL vs. DFL vs. Green in most races. (I realize I just contradicted myself by focusing on party identification)

Last edited by twincitizen on March 5th, 2013, 10:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I can't believe I'm sort of siding with nasa, but I think you'd be surprised how many people on here may have conservative or libertarian leanings, or may even be Republican. It doesn't help discourse on the forums to completely dismiss one point of view, or people that hold that point of view, just because of a label. There are many brands of Republican just as there are many brands of Democrat.

mattaudio wrote:I can't believe I'm sort of siding with nasa, but I think you'd be surprised how many people on here may have conservative or libertarian leanings, or may even be Republican. It doesn't help discourse on the forums to completely dismiss one point of view, or people that hold that point of view, just because of a label. There are many brands of Republican just as there are many brands of Democrat.

There's no reason to "can't believe" your siding with me. I have no extremeist views on anything. My big sin here is I think the transit dollars are being wasted short term and long term.

Saying that, living in minnesota i have many very liberal friends. It wouldn't be very kind or intelligent, IMO, to just disregard their voice/opinion. It's a silly attitude to just brush off a segment, a very LARGE segment of our society/culture. I always thought that was what liberalism feared the most. Not to be heard; yet here we are now, seeing that attitude from the very people who went crazy about that in the 60s and 70s. It's kinda sad in an odd way.

mattaudio wrote:...I think you'd be surprised how many people on here may have conservative or libertarian leanings, or may even be Republican. It doesn't help discourse on the forums to completely dismiss one point of view, or people that hold that point of view, just because of a label. There are many brands of Republican just as there are many brands of Democrat.

And that's entirely my point -- that there are many moderate Independents and Republicans living in Minneapolis who have been abandoned not by the DFL, but by an increasingly reactionary, rural, and frankly mean-spirited Republican Party. If the Republican Party could stomach the idea of endorsing a Republican in the mold of Al Quie or Arne Carlson, they'd not only have a chance of winning, but they would certainly shift the center of gravity of the conversation.

But those days are long gone. Minneapolis regularly elected Independent and Republican mayors as recently as the 1970's. Since then, the city has become more liberal, and the Republican Party has ethnic cleansed itself free of dirty moderates.

mattaudio wrote:...I think you'd be surprised how many people on here may have conservative or libertarian leanings, or may even be Republican. It doesn't help discourse on the forums to completely dismiss one point of view, or people that hold that point of view, just because of a label. There are many brands of Republican just as there are many brands of Democrat.

And that's entirely my point -- that there are many moderate Independents and Republicans living in Minneapolis who have been abandoned not by the DFL, but by an increasingly reactionary, rural, and frankly mean-spirited Republican Party. If the Republican Party could stomach the idea of endorsing a Republican in the mold of Al Quie or Arne Carlson, they'd not only have a chance of winning, but they would certainly shift the center of gravity of the conversation.

But those days are long gone. Minneapolis regularly elected Independent and Republican mayors as recently as the 1970's. Since then, the city has become more liberal, and the Republican Party has ethnic cleansed itself free of dirty moderates.

you don't hang with conservatives apparently. You broad brush, to a tee. You'd be astounded and your world shattered, If you ran amongst my group of friends.

I'm not painting anybody with any brush. I have no doubt that there are arch-conservatives hiding in our midst. So what? There clearly aren't enough of them to get anybody elected, and last time I checked, that's how democracy works.

My point is that I will not fault Minneapolis citizens when the majority of them vote for candidates that push forward policies that benefit the city. When the Republican Party offers up candidates that can speak intelligently to the issues facing the city, I'll be first in line to listen to them.

As an aside, I don't presume to know you or how you think, so I'd ask you to offer me the same courtesy.